Protecting the national herd from Mycoplasma bovis

We are taking all measures possible to help protect the national herd from Mycoplasma bovis and will continue to comply with all MPI directives.

More than 99% of the country’s dairy herds have no signs of this
disease, and we want to keep it that way.

We are confident the robust procedures we already
have in place will protect our bulls from the disease and effectively manage
any risk of transmission by our staff or equipment. For added safety, our
procedures are heightened in times of potential disease outbreak.

We want you to be
fully informed about where we stand on this so you can have confidence in your
co-op.

Protecting our
bulls from M. bovis is critical to us and critical to the dairy industry:

We
have extensively tested our bulls and haven’t found any sign or indication of
M. bovis in our bulls or semen.

We are taking action to safeguard our bull
stud and help protect the national herd.

Isolation of new
bulls for health testing before they enter an LIC property including M. bovis testing .

All bulls are under
quarantine measures and monitored daily for any health concerns.

Daily testing of every semen collection (from 3rd September) with
results confirmed before semen is dispatched to farmers.

In addition to semen testing, routine testing of
our bulls for M. bovis using preputial samples.

Questions and Answers

We have done extensive
testing and haven’t found any sign or indication of M. bovis in our bulls or
semen.

We have introduced a new daily
testing regime where we are testing every semen collection for M. bovis and
will confirm the results before semen straws are dispatched to farmers.

The PCR test is highly sensitive and
will detect if M. bovis is present in the semen.

We are doing this to provide additional
reassurance for our famers that our semen is free from M. bovis.

The daily semen testing complements
our recent introduction of an additional antibiotic into the semen diluent in
an effort to further reduce the risk of transmitting M. bovis via semen.

MPI have stated M. bovis is
mainly spread between cattle in close contact.

We are confident the robust
procedures we have in place for AB will minimise any risk of spreading M.
bovis. Every inseminator is protected by a
single use disposable sheath so there is no direct contact with the animal. The
sheaths are changed between animals. As an additional precaution, inseminators
will now be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol wipes between farms.

Yes. We
have done extensive testing and haven’t found any sign or indication of M.
bovis in our bulls or semen.

We have also introduced a new daily
testing regime where we are testing every semen collection for M. bovis and
will confirm the results before semen straws are dispatched to farmers.

We continue to test any new bulls for
M. bovis in isolation before they enter the main LIC bull farm.

As M. bovis is mainly spread between
cattle in close contact, the best way we can protect our bulls is to continue
with our strict animal management and monitoring measures.

We use a PCR (Polymerase chain
reaction) test which multiplies distinctive segments of DNA and detects the
presence of the bacteria itself. This is the same test that MPI uses.

When testing semen, the PCR test is
highly sensitive and will detect if M. bovis is present in the semen.

Based on our extensive testing and
strict animal management and monitoring measures, we are confident our bulls
are clear from M. bovis.

Yes.

Based on the testing and our strict
animal management and monitoring measures, we are confident our bulls are clear
from M. bovis, but as a precautionary measure we have added an additional
antibiotic to the semen diluents in an effort to further reduce the risk of
transmitting M. bovis via semen.

Yes. LIC processed semen has been certified for use in organic farming by BioGro since 2011 and they have approved the addition of the antibiotic to target M. bovis.

A
specific bull purchased in January 2017 has been involved in an MPI trace. This
bull was moved to LIC six months prior to when the herd in question received
infected stock. Subsequent testing of this bull and all contacts by MPI and LIC
have been clear.

MPI
carried out the testing and followed the same protocols that are being followed
for every other farm around the country. We were not put under any notice or
restriction from MPI due to this as the property was not infected when we
purchased the bull and test results confirmed there was no sign of M. bovis in
the bull. That
is standard MPI practice.

All herd testing equipment will be disinfected between farms.

Herd test setups will be completed before any pickups to ensure there is no risk of milk samples
contaminating clean flasks.

All AB inseminators will be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol wipes between
farms.

We are asking some farmers to rear their Wagyu calves for longer
so we can collect calves from one farm in one pick-up with a clean, dedicated
stock truck for that farm.